Preview — Half Lives
by Sara Grant

Half Lives

Present day: Icie is a typical high school teenager - until disaster strikes and her parents send her to find shelter inside a mountain near Las Vegas.

The future: Beckett lives on The Mountain - a sacred place devoted to the Great I AM. He must soon become the leader of his people. But Beckett is forced to break one of the sacred laws, and when the Great I AM does not strPresent day: Icie is a typical high school teenager - until disaster strikes and her parents send her to find shelter inside a mountain near Las Vegas.

The future: Beckett lives on The Mountain - a sacred place devoted to the Great I AM. He must soon become the leader of his people. But Beckett is forced to break one of the sacred laws, and when the Great I AM does not strike him down, Beckett finds himself starting to question his beliefs.

As Beckett investigates The Mountain's history, Icie's story is revealed - along with the terrifying truth of what lies at the heart of The Mountain.

Sara Grant's HALF LIVES is a dystopian chronicle of the journeys of two unlikely heroes in their race against time to save future generations....more

Community Reviews

To be quite honest, I'm not even sure what this book is supposed to be about. It failed to engage me before one of the main plot points was even introduced. On the other hand, it made me feel a lot better about DNF-ing books, because life is too short for boring books. So, uh, thanks?

So this book alternates between two narrators, one of which I've completely forgotten. The other is named Icie. Luckily, it's not a diminutive for frozen water, but it's still a pretty bad name. And even though itTo be quite honest, I'm not even sure what this book is supposed to be about. It failed to engage me before one of the main plot points was even introduced. On the other hand, it made me feel a lot better about DNF-ing books, because life is too short for boring books. So, uh, thanks?

So this book alternates between two narrators, one of which I've completely forgotten. The other is named Icie. Luckily, it's not a diminutive for frozen water, but it's still a pretty bad name. And even though it may be realistic, I.could.not. with all the social media references in her present-day storyline.

As for the storyline featuring the character who I've forgotten: I did derive amusement from this weird cult leader person. (I think. The boredom and deliberate vagueness does not help my retention of details.) But only because I kept reading his name -- the Great I AM -- as the Great Will.I.Am, which is also how I presume Will.I.Am addresses himself.

I received my free copy from Little, Brown. I received no compensation for writing this review -- obviously, since I don't say very nice things about the book....more

I hadn't gotten my liking around Icie yet when the next chapter is the POV of Beckett and friends.

Back to Icie; new POV: Harper. Back to Icie, then Beckett, and then a new character: Greta.

At this point, I am not connecting to anybody. I don't like any of the characters enough to endure the jumps between the present (Icie) and the future (the other POVs).

Actually, the present is not bad but the characters of the future drag the book down.

Why keep reading it if I already know (from the future characters) that the virus destroyed everything? All is left is reading how Icie made it to the bunker, but she is kind of annoying. She made a new "friend" on her way there and she is "do not get attached." Right. Because that is exactly what people think when they are in danger; specially teenagers.

It looked like the writer was trying to be serious but the book is a big joke.. I reached page 96 and stopped.. the writing is so poor, I could at least stand it in "present" but the future parts were so stupid, it felt like reading a children's book , he went up the mountain.. he came down the mountain, Becket enjoyed walking .the title must be "Becket and Friends"and the names are stupid, and the idea is stupid, the characters are stupid, the plot is stupid... this is a stupid book...And the "It looked like the writer was trying to be serious but the book is a big joke.. I reached page 96 and stopped.. the writing is so poor, I could at least stand it in "present" but the future parts were so stupid, it felt like reading a children's book , he went up the mountain.. he came down the mountain, Becket enjoyed walking .the title must be "Becket and Friends"and the names are stupid, and the idea is stupid, the characters are stupid, the plot is stupid... this is a stupid book...And the "just sayings" and "whatever" , "Facebook" "cheer captain" etc.. was that supposed to be creative? because it really annoyed me ....more

Very interesting, intriguing and satirical in my opinion. The story is told in two storylines, alternating the chapters between "present day" and "the future."

"Present day" follows the story of four teenagers that band together in a nuclear waste bunker in the mountains near Las Vegas after a terrorist attack that released a deadly virus left most people dead.

"The future" follows, again, mainly four people, but this is how civilization has ended up. We have three people from the village they calVery interesting, intriguing and satirical in my opinion. The story is told in two storylines, alternating the chapters between "present day" and "the future."

"Present day" follows the story of four teenagers that band together in a nuclear waste bunker in the mountains near Las Vegas after a terrorist attack that released a deadly virus left most people dead.

"The future" follows, again, mainly four people, but this is how civilization has ended up. We have three people from the village they call "Forreal" and an outsider named Greta whose tribe of nomads just settled in what is now called Vega.

I literally could not put this book down - you know how the story ends for the present day people, the future is proof of that. But the thing that draws you in is HOW the present turned into this weird society of people who worship the great I AM. Their funny "just sayings," the facebooks they complete in order to make a rite of passage, the "whatevers" and how their songs of worship actually were popular rock songs in the present day. These people took all sorts of things that we experience in our own daily lives and then twisted them around. It's strange to think about - the end of the world and all you have to keep going is words and sayings that don't provide the context that they used to.

The author brings up the subject of nuclear power and its inevitable toxic waste. This makes you really think - a powerful thing for a YA book

"don't hold on to hate.accept your fate.we had time.(not so much time.)all you got is time.til it's gone.

"i learned that surviving isn't all it's cracked up to be. if you survive, you've got to live with the guilt, and that's more difficult than looking someone in the eye and pulling the trigger. trust me. i've done both. killing takes a twitch of the finger. absolution takes several lifetimes."

Tried really hard to like it but had to put it down after page 18. I think she was trying too hard to connect the past and the future with an annoying teenager making up her own words and catchphrases. She completely lost me when the girls in the future were called cheerleaders and the guys rockstars. Why? Just...why?

Tried really hard to like it but had to put it down after page 18. I think she was trying too hard to connect the past and the future with an annoying teenager making up her own words and catchphrases. She completely lost me when the girls in the future were called cheerleaders and the guys rockstars. Why? Just...why?

Maybe something was lost in the fact that I didn't/couldn't finish it. Maybe they're only going off her journal or something. I just wasn't going to keep putting myself through hell to find out....more

I wanted to like Half Lives more than I did. Grant's novel is told from points in time, the present day and the future. These two time periods are connected, though we aren't told how and the hints throughout the novel are weak, at best. The present day story, even when Grant loses focus, is mostly fine. I did like he way she deals with the problems of death and the choices people make in order to survive. If her loss of focus was the only problem, I probably would've enjoyed the book more. UnfoI wanted to like Half Lives more than I did. Grant's novel is told from points in time, the present day and the future. These two time periods are connected, though we aren't told how and the hints throughout the novel are weak, at best. The present day story, even when Grant loses focus, is mostly fine. I did like he way she deals with the problems of death and the choices people make in order to survive. If her loss of focus was the only problem, I probably would've enjoyed the book more. Unfortunately, it's the future characters who drag the book down.

Grant tries to set up a future world that is interesting and connected to the past in ways I feel like we should figure out as we read the alternating chapters, but it doesn't work. Instead of just focusing on one character for the present and one for the future, she bounces around between characters -- we can tell them apart because the future chapters have a different font and each chapter's title includes the name of the character who narrates it. Among other things, Half Lives suffer from an over abundance of characters who I just don't care about. There's also annoying jargon that the future characters use that should be hints to the connection to the past, but you just have to guess, as it's never fully explained.

We do get, right near the end, a thrown together explanation of how the past and future connect. It's subtle, which is nice, but it's too little too late. There was really only one character who I cared about and I didn't even realize it until the character died. I felt I was meant to be emotionally invested in the romantic relationships between some of the characters, and the characters collective and individual needs to survive, but there just wasn't enough of emotional connection for me.

The one saving grace is that it doesn't appear to be a series, because the book ends without cliff hangers (aside from all the unanswered questions about what/who caused the outbreak and how the society of the future developed, but I don't really care to know). It's basically a self-contained story. If you're starved for dystopia, read it. Otherwise, pass. ...more

LectusI'm reading it right now but skipping all the "future" parts.
Feb 03, 2014 01:55PM

SarahLectus wrote: "I'm reading it right now but skipping all the "future" parts."I think it's a smart move, for the most part. I really wish this book wasLectus wrote: "I'm reading it right now but skipping all the "future" parts."I think it's a smart move, for the most part. I really wish this book was better....more
Feb 03, 2014 01:58PM

As it has been quite a while since I last read an apocalyptic story, I was looking forward to reading “Half Lives” by Sara Grant.Two stories told simultaneously, but set in two different eras, the reader alternates chapters from one timeline to the other. This technique allows clues to be revealed, slowly expanding the reader’s understanding of how the future evolved. Some readers may find it difficult to follow the duel stories, but I enjoyed the change in pace. This modern update on the fascinAs it has been quite a while since I last read an apocalyptic story, I was looking forward to reading “Half Lives” by Sara Grant.Two stories told simultaneously, but set in two different eras, the reader alternates chapters from one timeline to the other. This technique allows clues to be revealed, slowly expanding the reader’s understanding of how the future evolved. Some readers may find it difficult to follow the duel stories, but I enjoyed the change in pace. This modern update on the fascinating hypothesis of how society could revert after a catastrophic event is well written. As the survivors are young, inexperienced teenagers, the society that ‘evolves’, is limited in their views and understanding. The first story (Isis timeline) is set in the early 21st century. A bio-terrorist attack releases a virus that kills most of the human population. Isis, nicknamed Ici, is the key to the future. The story revolves around her escape to a secluded bunker near Vegas. Along the way Ici meets Marissa, Tate & Chaske. The four of them lock themselves in the underground bunker to await the passing of the infection. The seclusion takes its toll on each teen in a different way, forcing Ici to deal with her fears & desires. She is forced to kill to survive, to accept death as part of the new beginning, to overcome the guilt that she has survived, while everyone she knew & loved, died, and finally, to set down the rules for a new society. The second story (Forreal timeline) is set in the future, hundreds of years later. This story is actually broken into multiple stories for each main character. As I started reading, I wondered why the people called themselves cheer leaders & rock stars; why they were born with deformities; & how the society had come to worship the way they did. As I read further into the Isis timeline, it all started to come together, showing how the past has influenced the future.The Forreal characters are:a) Beckett, Ici’s descendant, born with the eternity symbol denoting his connection to the great I AM. He battles to accept his position of leadership and responsibility, especially after meeting Greta, who he falls in love with. He, like Ici, has to overcome his fears to lead his people to peace.b) Harper wandered onto the mountain as a child. Taken in by the village, but not quite fitting in, she loves Beckett. Her jealousy at seeing Beckett kissing Greta, causes her to lie about an impending terrorist attack. She has to accept her role as friend & advisor only to Beckett, & help him stop the start of a new war.c) Finch is the antagonist of the story, craving the power & admiration given to Beckett. He has spent his whole life patrolling the mountain, wanting to fight the terrorists. (The bogeymen of past stories, turned from humans, into monsters, to explain why the world was destroyed.) Harper’s story of seeing terrorists, allows him to banish Beckett & to seize control of the village. He leads them into battle, attacking Vega during the night. d) Greta is a descendant of another group of survivors, whose family have come to Vega to begin a new life. She is exploring the mountain when she meets Beckett. Brought up as the next leader, but also not wanting to take on the responsibility, she falls in love with Beckett. She is forced to choose between saving Beckett or her family from Finch’s mad attack.

In the end both Beckett & Ici realise that it is their strength & decisions that ultimately make the future.

I found the writing style easy to read. The story was gripping, although sad, especially as so many people die. The change in writing style between timelines, allowed me to feel the differences in life more acutely. Sara Grant’s descriptive narrative was sufficient for my imagination to create a visual scene for each timeline. I liked how Sara Grant warped our modern technology into rudimentary representations. Our Facebook, with its smiley faces, that is a modern way of communication; becomes an etched piece of bark, representing the reaching of adulthood. Teenager phrases of rebellion and songs become everyday greetings & prayers. With the higher power guiding them called the great I AM. At one point in the Isis timeline, Ici etches her initials onto trees. Isis Anne Murrey (IAM), & I realised she is the great I AM. Yet she was just a girl who lost everything but still found a way to survive and start a new society. When Beckett discovers her diary, telling the true events that led to Forreal’s creation, he has to decide whether to reveal the truth or allow his family to continue believing in I AM. The acceptance of their fates is quite clear in the telling of each character’s story. The psychological differences, that are so innately human, are well portrayed. I found the characters believable & well portrayed, although I would have preferred some of the minor characters to have been a little more fleshed out.I felt overall that this story is encouraging, allowing the reader to see that no matter how hard life appears, we hold unfathomable depths of strength that will allow mankind to survive, no matter the odds. I recommend Half Lives to anyone who enjoys Fantasy/Sci Fi or a thought provoking read. I give Half Lives an 8/10 rating. I look forward to reading more of Sara Grant’s books....more

When my sister forwarded an email to me with the books available from HBG this summer, I almost didn't pick this book. Just buy reading the first 70% of the description, I was already in the "Oh-no-not-another-post-apocalyptic-novel-in-which-a-secret-was-discovered" mood. But praise the writing gods (and Sara Grant), this story has more to it than just that. It skips forward in generations and also tells the story of a future cult. Now, thaThank you HBG Canada for providing an ARC of Half Lives!

When my sister forwarded an email to me with the books available from HBG this summer, I almost didn't pick this book. Just buy reading the first 70% of the description, I was already in the "Oh-no-not-another-post-apocalyptic-novel-in-which-a-secret-was-discovered" mood. But praise the writing gods (and Sara Grant), this story has more to it than just that. It skips forward in generations and also tells the story of a future cult. Now, that is the kind of kick I was waiting for. What's even better was Ms. Grant's choice of not simply writing a story from the future perspective, because then, another dystopian story would have been born. The concept of this book is new and adventurous, not to mention the cross-generation storytelling was well executed.

Thanks to Sara, the present and the future can finally live in harmony! (And no Fire Nation jokes in the comments please.)(view spoiler)[(hide spoiler)]

When a story involves a future religious cult, one would perceive that as a serious matter - and it is. But kudos to Sara Grant for bringing in humour in her story. I mean, come on, the leader of this religious group is a teenage boy. He has bound to make some mistakes, right? I think my favourite aspect of this book has to do with the misinterpretations of Icie's story. Her story has been misunderstood by those in the future and when the reader first arrive at the future perspective, expect to be a little confused. Their words have evolved and the thing we once knew can be unknown to them. So when they all begin to chant: "Whatever! Whatever! Whatever!" don't put down the book and walk away. That disjointed feeling is the beauty of this book.

I'm still undecided as to which perspective I enjoyed more. Both had their pros and cons, and both had moments where I can and can't connect with. These present day characters are not who I usually connect to but I thought they were written very realistically. I feel like the jokes they tell and their view on life is pretty close to those of real teens. The character in the future are more of the voices I am accustomed to; these characters appear a lot in other post-apocalyptic novels, so they are a bit clichéd. But because the plot was so interesting, these characters didn't bother me.

So overall, this book was unexpected, humorous and thought-provoking.I will link the article Sara Grant speaks of in the Author's Note right here. It is the inspiration to this book and I think it's a neat read.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

This book truly confused me. It also made me feel very depressed and sad.

I got maybe half-way through in a day because I was only interested in the present day POV. The future POV with Beckett honestly confused and disinterested me. I basically skipped those chapters just because I couldn't handle the boredom. It also somehow seemed as if the writing worsened in those chapters.

Anyways, halfway through, I just couldn't handle the boredom anymore and I almost just put it down. But I was still inThis book truly confused me. It also made me feel very depressed and sad.

I got maybe half-way through in a day because I was only interested in the present day POV. The future POV with Beckett honestly confused and disinterested me. I basically skipped those chapters just because I couldn't handle the boredom. It also somehow seemed as if the writing worsened in those chapters.

Anyways, halfway through, I just couldn't handle the boredom anymore and I almost just put it down. But I was still interested in Icie's POV and everything that was happening there so I basically broke the law of books: I skipped to the end. And, oh gawd, was I confused!

So, I skipped back to the half-way point and forced myself to read the rest.

And I was still confused.

So when I was all finished with this book, instead being left with a satisfied, happy yet depressed, and loving (or at least some form of enjoyment) residue, like I want to be with any novel I decide to pick up, I was abandoned at the end with confusion and depression. I was also really weirded out. Like, this book is really weird. ( And I usually appreciate weird books!)

I really didn't like this book. At first I felt like it should have just been Icie's story because Beckett had no real substance to it. I feel like Beckett's side of the story was trying to be funny be using all the modern day slang in a religious way. This just didn't make sense as the story being told was not a funny one.

By the end of the book I didn't like either side. Icie was supposed to be portrayed as a hero who saved Chaske and all the boys tThis review contains spoilers.

I really didn't like this book. At first I felt like it should have just been Icie's story because Beckett had no real substance to it. I feel like Beckett's side of the story was trying to be funny be using all the modern day slang in a religious way. This just didn't make sense as the story being told was not a funny one.

By the end of the book I didn't like either side. Icie was supposed to be portrayed as a hero who saved Chaske and all the boys that came after. But she wasn't. She was a selfish teenage girl who shut herself in a cave for an extended period of time with 3 others who all ended up dying.

Beckett on the other hand was so self important that it was ridiculous. He believed in something that there was no proof of and continued to lie to all those that followed him after he found out the truth.

I also didn't think this book was overly thought out that well. With the Just Sayings, how did they know what they were if they had never been inside the cave. Also the same issue with the 'facebook'.

Overall this book was a confusing mess of different perspectives that equaled a story line that had no real substance to it and was subsequently dull and a huge let down when you think about all the better things that could be done with the idea.

I would not recommend this book to anyone and I certainly wont be reading anything else from this author. (hide spoiler)]["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

By the power of Victoria's Secret... Quoted from somewhere in this book.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Okay, okay. Let me just say this. The book isn't completely shit (yes, I have stopped starring the swear words), but at the same time, it's still kind of shit.

The connection between Icie and Beckett, although somewhat cool, wasn't really executed well. In fact, the way Beckett's people were speaking (beasties, crupid, you name it), the "Just Sayings" at the beginning of those chapters, and so on, iBy the power of Victoria's Secret... Quoted from somewhere in this book.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Okay, okay. Let me just say this. The book isn't completely shit (yes, I have stopped starring the swear words), but at the same time, it's still kind of shit.

The connection between Icie and Beckett, although somewhat cool, wasn't really executed well. In fact, the way Beckett's people were speaking (beasties, crupid, you name it), the "Just Sayings" at the beginning of those chapters, and so on, indicated that they had some sort of relation between each other. In short, it was predictable.

Speaking of the way they talk...Icie. WHO THE HELL TALKS LIKE THAT?! I just left high school not too long ago, and NOBODY talked like that! Sure, there were phrases that were made up or even created with regular words, but yeesh! Nobody put two words together to make up some ridiculous word! And, yes, the words in the dictionary were words created in the first place, but...GOD! It sounds like something that middle school kids would do, not high school seniors!

The writing wasn't bad, but adequate at best. There are many cringe-worthy moments, so beware.

The characters...To be honest, I cared more about Icie's story than Beckett's story. Beckett's situation felt like any other story or show that has similar situations (Avatar, Poca-fucking-hontas [please don't be offended, I like Pocahontas, even though the Disney film is inaccurate to the actual event], anything else?), so I was just bored and didn't give a shit for him, Harper, Greta, or Fitch. Icie's story was more interesting, albeit not compelling. But, I still kind of cared for the characters, and understood their feelings about the whole situation. Even Marissa.

But, the insta-love...I felt absolutely nothing for it.

Overall, this book is okay (2/5 stars), but you're not missing much if you don't read it. Trust me, there are other things worth reading. Like Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. More Than This by Patrick Ness (one of the best books of all time, I tell you, READ IT NOW!). Or, if you're tired of humans, read The Bees by Laline Paul. Hope this helps....more

Facebook! Twitter! Rock Star! Cheerleader! A Tristan! And the teen anthem - WHATEVER! All of these words have meaning for us but what will someone think of these words 100 years or more in the future? Isis Murray is a typical teen who is spirited out of her home and sent to find a secret bunker in a Nevada mountain hours in advance of a terrorist bio-attack of the US. Along the way, she finds Marissa and Tate who accompany her to the bunker. She also finds Chaske who has his own secrets. Life inFacebook! Twitter! Rock Star! Cheerleader! A Tristan! And the teen anthem - WHATEVER! All of these words have meaning for us but what will someone think of these words 100 years or more in the future? Isis Murray is a typical teen who is spirited out of her home and sent to find a secret bunker in a Nevada mountain hours in advance of a terrorist bio-attack of the US. Along the way, she finds Marissa and Tate who accompany her to the bunker. She also finds Chaske who has his own secrets. Life in the bunker is difficult for each of the four who cope with the aloneness in their own way. But Fate intervenes and one by one the others die and Icie is left alone to write the story of their experiences. At the same time, every other chapter is told by Beckett, the cheer captain of those who guard the mountain, and Finch, who wants to destroy those fanged, scaly terrorists who are camped out in Vega. Beckett is guided by the words of wisdom of the Great I AM and the most potent prayer of all - Whatever. I really enjoyed this book with its alternating chapters from Icie and her descendant Beckett. It's fun to think about how pop culture can adopt a whole new meaning over time....more

“I learned that surviving isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you survive, you’ve got to live with the guilt, and that’s more difficult than looking someone in the eye and pulling the trigger. Trust me. I’ve done both. Killing takes a twitch of the finger. Absolution takes several lifetimes.”

This book first pulled me in because of the narrative. Yes, it a little juvenile when it first starts but the character draws you in immediately. The narrative is interesting and makes you want to keep readi“I learned that surviving isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you survive, you’ve got to live with the guilt, and that’s more difficult than looking someone in the eye and pulling the trigger. Trust me. I’ve done both. Killing takes a twitch of the finger. Absolution takes several lifetimes.”

This book first pulled me in because of the narrative. Yes, it a little juvenile when it first starts but the character draws you in immediately. The narrative is interesting and makes you want to keep reading. This teenage girl has to go through so much from the beginning to the end of the book and with the first person narrative you get to live it through with her during the book. The futuristic part is kind of confusing and not as interesting throughout the book and the two sections don't flow together well. However, by the end of the book you understand the future because you've reached the end of the present. And everything makes sense and it's beautifully melancholic....more

This book was amazing in so many ways. I've never read a book like this before. It was magical. The book starts off with a girl that has a perfect life in Washington, DC. Her Mum works for the federal government and her Dad works as a nuclear physicist. One day, her Mum and Dad tell her to return home ASAP and tell her that a plague has started. They will breach national security by allowing Isis to go to a different state to avoid the sickness. They give Isis a bag full of supplies and $10,000This book was amazing in so many ways. I've never read a book like this before. It was magical. The book starts off with a girl that has a perfect life in Washington, DC. Her Mum works for the federal government and her Dad works as a nuclear physicist. One day, her Mum and Dad tell her to return home ASAP and tell her that a plague has started. They will breach national security by allowing Isis to go to a different state to avoid the sickness. They give Isis a bag full of supplies and $10,000 to get to an abandoned nuclear waste repository in Nevada. Isis starts on her journey to get to the bunker, but her flight ends up getting grounded halfway through. During the flight, Isis meets a new girl named Marissa that was going back home to Las Vegas. In the midst of all this turmoil of people being afraid of the sickness, Marissa eventually tags along with Isis to get to the bunker. Along their way to get to the bunker, they meet a boy that was left along the side of the road to die and let him go with them to the bunker. When they get to the mountain that houses the bunker, they start the journey up. Along the way up, Isis almost gets killed by a snake, but she meets a teenager that kills the snake with his gun and saves her life. Isis lets him go along with the crew and they eventually get to the mountain. A cat named Midnight takes up shelter in the bunker with them, and helps keep the spirit alive. Weeks pass by and with the grueling task of staying alive in the end of the world eventually gets tougher, Marissa starts developing behaviors that risk the lives of the rest of the bunker inhabitants. One day, they hear knocks on the bunker door. Marissa goes insane and threatens Isis and Chaske until they open the door. Outside of the door are people that have contracted the sickness and are suffering from it. Isis makes Marissa leave the bunker and Midnight also escapes. Isis has a mental breakdown and starts to freak out, but Chaske helps her calm down. They eventually start to have a romantic relationship and towards the end of the book Isis realizes that she got pregnant. Sadly enough, Chaske commits suicide months before the baby is born. Back to the present, Tate digs deeper into the tunnel and eventually discovers the radioactive material that was hidden. Isis' parents must have had no idea about the material, because they wouldn't have sent her there with that stuff in there. Tate gets submersed with the radioactive mess, and even though Isis and Chaske cleaned him off he still gets deathly sick from it. He dies, and Chaske eventually gets sick because of it too. Chaske wishes to get out of the bunker to commit suicide, so Isis and he leave the bunker. Isis didn't know he wanted to kill himself though. They etch matching marks into their wrists so they will be together forever, and then after that Chaske kills himself. Isis doesn't want to live anymore and goes to live in a cave. She almost completely gives up, until Midnight appears and helps Isis get herself back in check. After that, a group of kids that were around Tate's age makes their way up the mountain and seek refuge back in the bunker. Isis gives birth to her baby and names him Chaske after his father. The group of children have their point of view in the book as well as Isis' point of view. They call the mountain the Great I AM. In the end of the book, you figure out what the Great I AM is. It's actually Isis' initials, and the group of children figure out that if a girl can become such an idol, so can they. This book was so amazing. It made my day on how it ended, because it really summed up the whole book and made it complete.If you like dystopian or apocalyptic young adult novels, this book is definitely for you. I hope you enjoy Half Lives by Sara Grant!...more

This book... well if you didn't already know from the description, it's about a 16 year old girl, Icie, who finds out that there is a deadly virus infecting the united states and she must go to an underground bunker (unused radioactive storage area) to survive. On her way there she meets Marissa, Tate, and Chaike.

anywho, i found this book hard to read at first because it is two books in one. One from the present, and one in the future after this virus. The story about Icie is written in first pThis book... well if you didn't already know from the description, it's about a 16 year old girl, Icie, who finds out that there is a deadly virus infecting the united states and she must go to an underground bunker (unused radioactive storage area) to survive. On her way there she meets Marissa, Tate, and Chaike.

anywho, i found this book hard to read at first because it is two books in one. One from the present, and one in the future after this virus. The story about Icie is written in first person, which i prefer. The story about beckett or whoever is not written in first person. maybe it was just me but i feel like the future story was terribly boring and not very well written. i don't know why. I almost stopped reading the book because of this. i would have to drag myself through these chapters to get to the good interesting ones. I decided just to read the story about present time and it worked!

The stories to not go together enough that if you were to read one you would be missing out. These are pretty much two separate stories, that end the end kind of make since of how they go together. I feel bad i did not read half the book, but honestly it was just so boring.

If it was just Icie's story i would have rated 4 stars, but it wasn't so a 3 will have to do....more

I’d watched enough horror movies to know that, no matter how big the cast, only one person survives to the credits and lives to fight the sequel.

Wow. This completely caught me off guard. This was something I've never expected. The writing was fun. Though every now and then when reading "Whatever" I still laugh, I somehow got used to it. It shows the way we were brought up have a large influence in how we see things.

I absolutely loved the characters. Icie, Marissa, Chaske and Tate. And I love I’d watched enough horror movies to know that, no matter how big the cast, only one person survives to the credits and lives to fight the sequel.

Wow. This completely caught me off guard. This was something I've never expected. The writing was fun. Though every now and then when reading "Whatever" I still laugh, I somehow got used to it. It shows the way we were brought up have a large influence in how we see things.

I absolutely loved the characters. Icie, Marissa, Chaske and Tate. And I love how the author gave all of this characters different kind of endings. (view spoiler)[ I still wonder what happened to Marissa outside that steel door (hide spoiler)] Also, how did Midnight survived?

It's amusing how all the pieces fit together in the end. Love this. This isn't a carbon copy of another novel.

I didn't finish the book. I mean, idk, It'a probably just me, but a white-haired dreadhead who makes up words like freepy and crupid just didn't catch my attention. It's probably just me. So I got until like the second chapter before the cheesy quotes started. And when I say cheesy, I mean right up there with cheddar and mozzarella. So, naturally, I skipped to the end.

*SPOILER* (But you will want to know this if you ever inteOh my.Dear Goodreads managers, please make a 'no star' button. Please.

I didn't finish the book. I mean, idk, It'a probably just me, but a white-haired dreadhead who makes up words like freepy and crupid just didn't catch my attention. It's probably just me. So I got until like the second chapter before the cheesy quotes started. And when I say cheesy, I mean right up there with cheddar and mozzarella. So, naturally, I skipped to the end.

*SPOILER* (But you will want to know this if you ever intend to read it)

He commits suicide. I think I've said enough. My work here is done. I've made my point, and if these simple facts aren't enough for you to put the darn book down, then go ahead, because I don't think ANYTHING will.

BlurbIcie is a typical teenager, until disaster strikes and she must escape to a top-secret military bunker - her only hope of survival.

Hundreds of years later, Beckett leads a community that worships the Great I AM. But Beckett and his beliefs are under attack.

Icie and Beckett must fight to survive - separated by time; connected by a dangerous secret both must protect.

My Review

The first things that struck me when reading Half Lives was the excellent first person narrative voice. Of course I'm aBlurbIcie is a typical teenager, until disaster strikes and she must escape to a top-secret military bunker - her only hope of survival.

Hundreds of years later, Beckett leads a community that worships the Great I AM. But Beckett and his beliefs are under attack.

Icie and Beckett must fight to survive - separated by time; connected by a dangerous secret both must protect.

My Review

The first things that struck me when reading Half Lives was the excellent first person narrative voice. Of course I'm a character girl so this was a big win for me. If I like your protagonist's narration, chances are I'll like the book whatever's going on. Icie, in my opinion, was believable and extremely readable. She was funny and sometimes down-right terrified and I think that was a great decision. Not enough of these protagonists thrown into a life-threatening situation react in a perfectly normal way. Icie does.

Unfortunately, Grant made the decision to write Beckett's half in the third person present tense whilst writing Icie in the first person past tense. I know why she's done this. Beckett's story is hundreds of years later so his narrative can be happening right now and if his narrative is happening right now, Icie's can't be. But couldn't she have written them both in the first person?

No.

That's because Beckett's half flips from this person to that person every alternative chapter. I thought this was a shame because I loved Beckett's 'voice' even if it was written in an entirely different style to Icie. However, I didn't like all the other characters that got to narrate. At times I even got bored of them and felt like crying out, "Give me Beckett instead!". I think this also comes down to how much I enjoyed Icie's narration. Most of the other points of view were tiring in comparison to the big and amusing 'voice' of Icie. Because of this, I found I was less likely to pick up the book if I was in Beckett's future. If on Icie though, I couldn't put the book down. It was like some sort of balancing act.

The plot though, I can't fault. I thought it was excellent how their two lives connected and how everything was revealed little bit by little bit. It was very clever and well thought out. I imagine all sorts of planning went into the reveals and time lines of Half Lives.

What I most loved, other than the narration, was how bizarre I found this story. It was different from most other things I've read but that's why I've given it a high rating. Even though I found some of the narration dragging, I still think it's worth the read if you can put up with Beckett's chapters.

Evaluation

Overall 8/10

Would I recommend it? Yes. It kept me reading and asking questions.

Would I look up the author? Yes. But I don't much fancy her other YA book so I'll just sit and wait patiently to see if she writes something else I'll be interested in.

I had high hopes for this book but it left me feeling kinda meh in the end. The characters weren't horrible though sometimes they were a little underdeveloped, especially for such a long book. And while I liked the way the two stories intersected and all the little clues as to how the past affected the future, I got bored with both story lines about halfway through. I think this book just suffered from too much book. It wasn't badly written but it certainly could've been tighter and hav2.5 Stars

I had high hopes for this book but it left me feeling kinda meh in the end. The characters weren't horrible though sometimes they were a little underdeveloped, especially for such a long book. And while I liked the way the two stories intersected and all the little clues as to how the past affected the future, I got bored with both story lines about halfway through. I think this book just suffered from too much book. It wasn't badly written but it certainly could've been tighter and have gotten to the point a heck of a lot quicker than it did. All of the word combinations done by Icie and later used by the Forrealers was kind of interesting but also a little annoying by the end. I don't know, it just felt kinda twee. I'm not sure that I'd want to leave words like "screepy" and "freepy" behind as my legacy to the future. Maybe it's just me though. This book just didn't overwhelm me with feels of any kind or strength. The romance was okay and didn't progress too quickly, though I thought there was a going to be a dash of instalove towards the beginning but it was tempered for a while which was nice. And now I'm going to be done rambling because that's really all I can think of to say about this book. It was decent but just kinda whelming in the end....more

Not my favorite. I didn't particularly like the two time lines & multiple POVs - it felt really deliberate how the author dropped hints and bread crumbs for the reader to follow in order to connect the two time lines. I also really didn't like details in the story such as the vernacular used by characters in one of the time lines. It felt like there was a lot of nothing going on in this one in regards to action or even character development. There is an attempt at developing two characters -Not my favorite. I didn't particularly like the two time lines & multiple POVs - it felt really deliberate how the author dropped hints and bread crumbs for the reader to follow in order to connect the two time lines. I also really didn't like details in the story such as the vernacular used by characters in one of the time lines. It felt like there was a lot of nothing going on in this one in regards to action or even character development. There is an attempt at developing two characters - Isis and Beckett - but even those two are one-dimensional. There are some awful things that happen in the story and the characters go through some emotional turmoil, but as the reader I felt nothing. I don't think this makes me a hard-hearted person, but rather I just didn't feel that emotional connection to the characters. The characters refrain about talking about their pasts and I think this actually hurts the story. The characters don't know each other, so how can the reader get to know them? ...more

Where to start with HALF LIVES by Sara Grant. I can honestly tell you I had very little idea what to expect from this book, but I was hopeful, and it surpassed any expectation I could, or did, have. I was stunned and crying by the end of the book, and amazed at how Sara Grant managed to blend together two completely separate yet intricately linked story lines.

Icie narrates a good half of the book, telling her story of how she isOriginally posted at Escape Through the Pages with the same rating.

Where to start with HALF LIVES by Sara Grant. I can honestly tell you I had very little idea what to expect from this book, but I was hopeful, and it surpassed any expectation I could, or did, have. I was stunned and crying by the end of the book, and amazed at how Sara Grant managed to blend together two completely separate yet intricately linked story lines.

Icie narrates a good half of the book, telling her story of how she is given cash and supplies and told by her parents to find a mountain outside Las Vegas where an abandoned toxic waste bunker that was never used will hopefully keep her safe from an imminent viral attack. On the way, she encounters a cheerleader, Marissa; a twelve-year-old wanna be rockstar, Tate; and mysterious Chaske. Together in the bunker, with no idea how the outside world is faring from the attack, Icie and the others try to survive. Icie is so much stronger than she thinks. She goes through crazy heartache and horror while trying to keep herself and the others alive, and wait for her Mum and Dad to come find her as they said they would. And while she may be terrified and has no clue what she’s doing, she keeps it together and survives as best she can.

The other half of the book is narrated generations in the future, primarily by Beckett, the teenage leader of a society that lives on the mountain that Icie fled to, but also by a few other characters who help flesh out the action and Beckett’s story. Surviving on the mountain, Beckett’s people fear the terrorists of the outside world, the broken city they call Vega just on the horizon both helping them survive and a source of worry. Beckett is the direct link to their god, the Great I AM, who once walked the mountain and gave the society their Just Sayings, their Facebooks and the hope of one day that Mumanda will come to save them all. The chapters are interspersed with each other and I was always so excited to see something that Icie and the others did become the direct influence of the language and culture of Beckett’s society. By the end of the book I was a mess of tears at all the pain Icie, Beckett, Marissa, Tate and everyone went through, but also because of revelations that Beckett has that nearly broke my heart, and the hope Icie still held. I am just in awe of how the two story lines blended together, and how much I came to care about these characters.

HALF LIVES by Sara Grant is a book about one girl’s journey to save herself in the face of impending disaster, and how choices she makes affect the lives of hundreds throughout the coming generations. It’s about finding strength in yourself to continue on, about making the hard decisions but also the right decisions, about confronting your fears and believing in your faith (whatever it may be). It’s about love, and sacrifice, about realizing what matters in the long run and discovering yourself through hardship. HALF LIVES is also about the threats we face every day through fear, weapons, secrets and lies. It’s about change and growth and the human need to survive and live. All tinged with an innate humour of how culture and language can change and reflect a caricature of words, phrases and things that what we have today in our society. Guys, I want nothing more than to dive right back in to HALF LIVES and live it again. I love this book like crazy, and I hope you do too....more

Quick & Dirty: This was a post apocalyptic story set in present day and the future, that felt all too real. Unfortunately, I found it really hard to connect with any of the characters and I had a hard time finishing it.

Opening Sentence: If you’d asked me that day whether I could lie, cheat, steal, and kill, I would have said ab-so-lutely not.

The Review:

Icie is your average 17 year old girl. She hangs out with her best friend and the worst thing to happenReview courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: This was a post apocalyptic story set in present day and the future, that felt all too real. Unfortunately, I found it really hard to connect with any of the characters and I had a hard time finishing it.

Opening Sentence: If you’d asked me that day whether I could lie, cheat, steal, and kill, I would have said ab-so-lutely not.

The Review:

Icie is your average 17 year old girl. She hangs out with her best friend and the worst thing to happen to her is that her boyfriend just broke up with her through a text message. Then one day her parents give her $10,000 and put her on a plane for Las Vegas. They tell her she has to go to a nuclear waste bunker in a mountain that was never finished. Her parents work for the government and they got wind that there is going to be a terrible terrorist attack where a virus is going to be released, and there is no way to stop it. She picks up some new friends on her journey to the mountain, but their trek is not easy. With the virus spreading and people going crazy they have to fight to survive. Once they make it to the bunker they have to stay there for months with no news about what happened outside. They have no way of knowing if they are safe or if they will survive long enough to see what has become of the world outside.

In the future Beckett is the leader of his small village of people. They have lived on the mountain ever since the terrorist attack happened 18 years ago. No one ever leaves the mountain and they worship The Great I Am, who has protected them from any harm as long as they don’t leave. Beckett has always followed the rules but one day he meets a mysterious girl that isn’t from his mountain. The more he learns about her, the more he starts to question all the things he has been taught since he was a child. Is it really as dangerous out in the world as he as always believed, or has his whole life been a lie.

First you meet Icie and I felt that she was very superficial. I understand that in the setting she needs to be ruthless to survive but I felt that her lack of compassion made her hard to connect with. She has many flaws and she owns up to her flaws which I usually like, but it just didn’t work for me in this story. Towards the end she gets a little better but it just came too late for me to really like her. I also felt that during her parts of the story it was really depressing and sad. I don’t mind if a book is heartbreaking but it didn’t pull at my heart strings like I wanted it to.

In the future part of the book the point of view switches between a bunch of different people. The main one is Beckett and he is the leader of his small clan of people. I didn’t mind Beckett, but there was really nothing that stuck out about him that was really memorable. I felt that way about all of the future characters, there wasn’t a single one that I really could connect with. I felt that when you were in Beckett’s world the story really dragged and I got bored with the story pretty quickly.

Overall, this was just an ok read for me. The plot did have some interesting twists but I had a really hard time getting into the story. I had to force myself to keep reading so I could finish the book which is never a good thing. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and I found the book to be really depressing. With this kind of book you need to really connect on an emotional level and I just didn’t get that. Honestly, this is really not my type of book, it was too serious and sad for me. Now that being said, I do think that there will be other people who actually really enjoy this book. If you like post apocalyptic and you don’t mind it being sad or a little slow you might really enjoy it. So obviously this book just wasn’t for me, but if the synopsis interests you give it a try.

Notable Scene:

She looked around as if they might have cameras in the toilet. “No, the most recent intel is about a bioterrorist attack.”

“A bio-what?”

“A fast-spreading and deadly virus. The initial projections are staggering. We need to get out of D.C.”

Then it hit me. I mean really hit me. I was falling, drowning, and being electrocuted all at once. My mind flashed to every apocalyptic movie I’d ever seen—world wars, alien attacks, explosions, floods, tsunamis, bombs, plagues. My knees gave out and I plopped down on the toilet.

“Do you remember where your dad and I met?” Mum asked.

I nodded, confused about her sudden stroll down memory lane. They were on some committee that had to do with strategic planning—Mum’s expertise—and nuclear waste—my dad’s. It had some whacked name like

Preventing Inadvertent Intrusion into blah, blah, bleugh. I always thought it sounded like the slogan for a new contraceptive device. “You met on that mountain outside Las Vegas.”

“That’s right,” she said. “We’re going there.”

FTC Advisory: Little Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Half Lives. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review....more

3.5 starsThe book tells two stories unfolding in parallel, alternating more or less every chapter. In the first, a young girl of our time finds shelter in an unused atomic bunker while the world around her ends. In the second, a leader from the future must face the presence of outsiders and discover the secret of the mountain they inhabit. The stories are obviously interlinked, and the how and why is revealed only gradually.

I must admit that I found Beckett's story somewhat dull, if well execute3.5 starsThe book tells two stories unfolding in parallel, alternating more or less every chapter. In the first, a young girl of our time finds shelter in an unused atomic bunker while the world around her ends. In the second, a leader from the future must face the presence of outsiders and discover the secret of the mountain they inhabit. The stories are obviously interlinked, and the how and why is revealed only gradually.

I must admit that I found Beckett's story somewhat dull, if well executed, simply because there were so many characters and few of them got fleshed out beyond a single characteristic or caricature: Beckett is the true believer, Finch is the fighter, Atti is the young energetic girl, and so on. Some of the connections to the present in Forreal's daily life didn't really work for me either. (view spoiler)[They could remember phrases, sayings and names perfectly after generations, and associate Facebook to 'a book of faces', but no one ever noticed how Mumenda sounds like "mum and dad"? (hide spoiler)]The choice of telling the future story in the third person present, alternating several points of view, puts it also in stark contrast with the simple first-person, diary-like tale in the present.

Icie's story was much more interesting, a mix of survival horror and closed room drama. The author here had much more time to flesh out the four characters, to make them like us even through their faults, and genuinely care for them and what would happen to them. The little teases from the future also helped heighten the tension, sometimes hinting at future developments, sometimes misdirecting. (view spoiler)[When they found the knife, I thought it was Chaske's bones there, died to defend Icie, so it was interesting to discover that it was Marissa instead. On the other hand, the reveal of Tate's body was played straight, but the presence of another skeleton made you wonder if anyone else from the party had died there too. (hide spoiler)]

All in all a good YA novel, though in the long run you'll probably remember more Icie and her group of survivors than the people of Forreal.

Disclaimer: I got a free review copy of this book from the Gollancz Geeks program["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

This is an interesting title and really quite a thinker. I've literally just finished it but I think it might take a while for me to get my brain around it.

I must admit I got about two thirds the way through this book and I started to lose interest. I didn't find myself connecting with the characters especially those in the story set in the future and while I could see the odd link I didn't really see why the second narrative was needed. Quite honestly I got to the point where I was almost readThis is an interesting title and really quite a thinker. I've literally just finished it but I think it might take a while for me to get my brain around it.

I must admit I got about two thirds the way through this book and I started to lose interest. I didn't find myself connecting with the characters especially those in the story set in the future and while I could see the odd link I didn't really see why the second narrative was needed. Quite honestly I got to the point where I was almost ready to skip the future narrative chapters in a bid to get the book finished quicker. Don't get me wrong the future stuff was interesting especially when you saw the way in which the society had evolved and how their names for groups and things were based on modern equivalents which were completely different to what they ought to be

However towards the end of the book things really started to click into place and I started to see how clever it was and how it all tied together and it has left me feeling like maybe I need to go back and reread the paragraphs set in the future to reread them now I am more informed to make all those little hints and clues make sense.

An interesting and different read which I'm glad finally made sense because of a good while I was worried it wouldn't. ...more

After reading the first few chapters I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It was oddly paced. The first few chapters were fun, and the reader got to know the protagonist, Icie. Then there was a bit of a lull, then it picked back up again.

I am glad I decided to finish. The dual narration added excitement in moments that weren't as intriguing. I particularily liked how two stories were unfolding throughout the book. It was neat to see the past and present intertwined in one story. As we lAfter reading the first few chapters I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It was oddly paced. The first few chapters were fun, and the reader got to know the protagonist, Icie. Then there was a bit of a lull, then it picked back up again.

I am glad I decided to finish. The dual narration added excitement in moments that weren't as intriguing. I particularily liked how two stories were unfolding throughout the book. It was neat to see the past and present intertwined in one story. As we learn about Icie and her circumstances, we see the story of Beckett unfolding parallel to hers.

Many of the dystopian/apocalyptic reads in the YA genre are not believable, they are great fantastical novels---but, not believable. What was disturbing about Half Lives? I really could see events like these actually unfolding in our world.

Icie was the perfect protagonist. She wanted so badly to live, and so badly to help others. The reader feels her emotions, which automatically makes this novel a great read. When an author is capable of triggering emotions from their readers, they are a success.

In the before time the worst thing Icie had to worry about was her ex-boyfriend posting their breakup on Facebook. But when her parents put her on a plane with $10,000, a backpack of survival gear, the key to a bunker in a mountain outside of Las Vegas, and a promise to join her as soon as they can, everything changes. As top government officials her parents had advance word of an impending virus with the potential to spread rapidly and kill effectively.

So Icie went into seclusion with three othIn the before time the worst thing Icie had to worry about was her ex-boyfriend posting their breakup on Facebook. But when her parents put her on a plane with $10,000, a backpack of survival gear, the key to a bunker in a mountain outside of Las Vegas, and a promise to join her as soon as they can, everything changes. As top government officials her parents had advance word of an impending virus with the potential to spread rapidly and kill effectively.

So Icie went into seclusion with three other refugees she picked up along the way. Together they work to ration their food and pass the time in the hope they can wait out the deadly virus and start anew.

Generations later Beckett leads a band of those who descend from the survivors. They live on the mountain and worship a deity called the Great I Am. They never leave the mountain, and they consider it their duty to protect it from any who would try to harm it. They look out at the hulking remains of a once great city and talk about the people who destroyed it long ago. One day when they see a light among the ruins, they know others have come, and they prepare to defend their home against the terrorists they fear.

Half Lives by Sara Grant takes place in the present time and a dystopian future. Tension builds as the narrative switches between the two places of action and readers begin to see parallels between the present and future, in more ways than one. In both places the characters struggle to survive while searching for truth and meaning in their circumstances. In both places they work to create a future where fear is not the ruling emotion.

It’s unusual to see dystopian fiction that shows both an apocalyptic event as well as the future that has been carved after that event. Grant blends the two worlds together in a way that is both frightening and believable as well as totally engrossing. I recommend it for book clubs with readers aged 14 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review....more

Half Lives by Sara Grant Half Livesby author Sarah Grant was one of those reads that sounded interesting and like it would keep you wondering until the very end. A novel that tells two sides to the end of the world, one taking place during and the other taking place long after? Count me right in! By the time I started readingHalf Livesand finished the first chapter I found myself going “whoa that was seriously awesome” and absolutelyhadto keep on reading.Half Livesis two stories. The first beingHalf Lives by Sara Grant Half Lives by author Sarah Grant was one of those reads that sounded interesting and like it would keep you wondering until the very end. A novel that tells two sides to the end of the world, one taking place during and the other taking place long after? Count me right in! By the time I started reading Half Lives and finished the first chapter I found myself going “whoa that was seriously awesome” and absolutely had to keep on reading.Half Lives is two stories. The first being that of main character Icie/Isis whose parents work for the government. When they send her a text telling her to come home ASAP she has a belt with $10,00 in cash strapped to her body and is sent to the airport, straight to Las Vegas and to a mountain that will keep her safe. Why are her parents doing this? Because they know about a top secret biological weapon that has been released and will eradicate the human race. Icie finds herself on her own, on her way to the mountain with a small band of survivors as they look for the mountain’s bunker in hopes of surviving the end of the world.The second story told in Half Lives takes place decades and decades later, the world is left in ruins and a small cult that follows the teachings of the Great I AM guard the mountain and bunker that Icie was hiding in. This small group of survivors fights off against Terrorists and hope to pass on the Great I AM’s will and find peace and enlightenment. When their leader, the Cheer Captain Beckett, meets a girl named Greta he uncovers the truth about Icie’s journey, who the Great I AM is and what the teachings his cult has been following are really about.What I really liked about Half Lives was getting to see the apocalypse as it unfolds and also gets dystopic and tells us what happens after. I really liked that but did have my worries. What if I didn’t like both casts of characters in both stories? What if I didn’t like one of the main characters as much as I did the other? Or what if I didn’t like both stories equally? Honestly I had nothing to worry about because both stories were equally good and equally fast paced. I was really impressed by the pacing used in Half Lives, it kept me on the edge of my seat and had me very excited to continue reading.The characters in Half Lives were ones that I easily got attached to. I fell in love with Icie and the three survivors she bands together with, at the same time I also really liked Becket, Greta, Harper and Finch (despite him turning out to be cray). Personally I think that the characters used in Icie’s story are ones that will relate more to teen readers and will also make it easier for them to think of the characters are real because they are all very realistic. Plus by the time Icie’s group reaches the bunker there’s so much drama and *spoiler, spoiler, spoiler*.Half Lives stirred up a lot of emotions in me. Throughout the story I would be reading and when the story would reach a part that questioned the character’s humanity or got really dark, I could feel it in my stomach and got so into the story. I cried, I laughed and I got terrified for every single character. By the time the novel reached its conclusion I was cried out, still surprised at the ending and also glad that it tied up almost every single loose end.I would recommend Half Lives to readers who are fans of dystopia, want a read that shows the before/after of the apocalypse and readers who are looking for a story that revolves around survival....more

She loves everything about books – writing, editing and reading them. She has a brain full of story ideas and a bookcase overflowing with books. She also adores visiting schools, libraries and bookshops and sharing her passion for stories. As a senior commissioning editor for Working Partners, a London-based company creating series fiction for children, Sara worked on twelve different series and eShe loves everything about books – writing, editing and reading them. She has a brain full of story ideas and a bookcase overflowing with books. She also adores visiting schools, libraries and bookshops and sharing her passion for stories. As a senior commissioning editor for Working Partners, a London-based company creating series fiction for children, Sara worked on twelve different series and edited nearly 100 books. She writes books for both children and teens. Dark Parties, her first young adult novel, won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Europe. Her next novel for teens is titled Half Lives and will be published in May 2013. And the first four books in Sara’s new series for young readers – Magic Trix – will be published in 2013.

Sara was born and raised in Washington, Indiana, a small town in the Midwestern United States. She graduated from Indiana University with degrees in journalism and psychology, and later she earned a master’s degree in creative and life writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She lives in London. ...more